A pair of hunters sit in a blind opening day of the 2012 gun-deer hunt. / FILE PHOTO/DAILY TRIBUNE MEDIA

Part of the approximate 215 people that attended the afternoon session Thursday Aug., 23, 2012 in Saratoga, of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources public hearings to get input on what should be included in an Environmental Impact Study for the proposed Golden Sands Dairy listened to Laura Chern (right) a Hydrogeologist with the groundwater section of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources answer questions about drinking water in the area of the proposed large-scaled dairy. / FILE PHOTO/DAILY TRIBUNE MEDIA

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The need for emergency response and additional security at the Capitol were the primary factors in 2011 overtime totals for state employees based in central Wisconsin, officials say.

In central Wisconsin, the state paid out as much as $22,349 in overtime during 2011, putting a since-retired Department of Natural Resources warden supervisor at the top of the list for Wood, Adams and Portage counties, according to a Gannett Wisconsin Media Investigative Team analysis of overtime and salary data.

Randy Falstad, who retired last year, also came in No. 6 on the list of highest-compensated state employees in the region of Adams and Wood counties, with all circuit judges coming in at No. 1 with a salary of $128,600, according to the analysis. Former Wood County District Attorney John Henkelmann came in at No. 3, with a salary of $110,053.

For hourly employees, the pay rate is based on years of service and the type of position, said Randy Stark, chief warden for the DNR Bureau of Law Enforcement. For example, a supervisor likely will get paid at a higher rate than an employee who does not have supervisor duties. The amount of overtime for DNR employees varies, based on a variety of factors, including the number and types of complaints wardens respond to and the nature and complexity of their investigations, he said.

For example, providing extra security at the State Capitol during 2011 and 2012, responding to floods and participating in search and rescue operations and large-scale investigations all contributed to overtime, Stark said.

Wardens must justify the use of overtime for each and every pay period, in accordance with the department’s guidelines, Stark said.

Overtime amounts to the work of about 36 full-time employees, without incurring additional fringe and equipment costs of additional employees, he said.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation, which oversees the State Patrol, said the massive protests in Madison of Gov. Scott Walker’s controversial collective bargaining bill skewed the overtime hours of law enforcement.

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“The protests at the Capitol significantly impacted overtime costs for the state,” said Stephanie Marquis, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Administration. “Additional law enforcement officers were needed from state agencies and local law enforcement organizations to keep the situation safe.”

Gary Czlapinski was the highest-paid state patrol trooper from Portage County in 2011, and also accrued the most overtime pay. Czlapinski made $71,609 and took in $10,774 in overtime pay. He has been a state trooper for 37 years and earned a Meritorious Service Award from the state in 2008 for his arrest of a man who eventually pleaded no-contest to the shooting deaths of three teenagers.

Another overtime factor was the number of vacancies in the State Patrol. It had a new class of recruits arrive from the police academy in 2012, the agency’s first class in three years. Across the state, there are 27 trooper vacancies and eight inspector vacancies, officials say.

Clark Albers has patrolled Wood County for 24 of his 26 years as a trooper. In 2011, he made $70,988, plus $10,396 in overtime pay. Portage and Wood counties fall under the North Central Region of the Wisconsin State Patrol. In the North Central unit, there are three trooper vacancies and one inspector vacancy. The trooper class in May 2012 brought in 32 recruits, but by September, 30 troopers had either resigned or retired from patrol.

“The last few years, we’ve been operating with vacancies statewide,” said Capt. Nicholas Wanink, the North Central commander. “We’re planning classes for the future.”

Walker’s collective-bargaining bill, known as Act 10, included rule changes to limit overtime pay. Those changes took effect in January 2012, officials said.